Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith is a Professor and Director of the Program in Biology at the University of Michigan's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He leads research in phylogenetics, computational evolutionary biology, and biogeography, focusing on plant evolution and methodological advancements. His lab develops tools like PyPHLAWD and phyx for phylogenetic analysis and has contributed to understanding plant diversification, genome duplications, and global biogeography.

Education: Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology (Yale University, 2008), M.S. in Evolutionary Biology (Yale, 2005), B.A. in Liberal Arts (Sarah Lawrence College, 2003).
Teaching: Courses on Evolution and Phylogenetic Methods and Theory.

Research Interests: Plant evolution, phylogenomics, computational methods, and biogeography. His lab explores topics such as Caryophyllales diversification, whole-genome duplications, and the impact of climate on speciation. Notable projects include the Ericales phylogenomics initiative with the University of Florida and the development of AI-driven specimen analysis tools like LeafMachine2.

Awards: 2024 AAAS Fellow for contributions to phylogenetics and plant evolutionary studies.

Advising & Grants: Supervises graduate students and postdocs, including work on transcriptomics and biodiversity conservation. Collaborates on NSF-funded projects exploring plant chemistry, paleopolyploidy, and evolutionary transitions.

Labs & Resources: Director of the Smith Lab at U-M, contributing to the Biological Sciences Building. Engages with the Program in Biology and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics.